Elder Stephen Chipman is currently serving in the Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

I'm really starting to like the MTC a lot--too bad I leave next week!

Hola FamiliaJuly
10, 13

Este Semana fue muy fantastico! This week was really
fantastic! Did anything change? Not really but I learned a lot!

We added 14 new Elders to our zone, and four new sisters.
All of a sudden there is a line for the showers in the morning! All of them
graduated from High School recently, and so I'm starting to see the 19 year old
missionary go extinct. But that's ok. With the new Elders, gym time has been a
blast. We usually split down the middle between basketball and soccer. I
usually pick soccer because lets be honest, what's the point of basketball if
you can't dunk? Chiste. (Joke)None of
the games are as exciting as they were the first few weeks, but they are still
a lot of fun! All of the Elders are really fun to be around!

We had an amazing devotional last night about prayer and
personal revelation, and I learned a lot. It’s funny, because I'm really
starting to like the MTC, a lot! Too bad I leave next week, or at least I hope
so! We still haven't received any information on when, or even where we might
be going. As far as we know, none of the 16 Elders and Hermanas in our zone
have received their visas to Argentina
yet. So we hope that they are just waiting to surprise us, but I have a feeling
that we are going to be serving in the United States for a little bit
before we head down south!

I finished reading the Book of Mormon again this week, and
it amazes me how amazing that book is. Our second week, a member of the seventy
came to talk to us, and when he spoke about the Book of Mormon, he began to
cry. He boldly held the book to his heart and said with tears in his eyes, “I
Love this book,". At the time, it really stuck with me. I mean I knew the
Book of Mormon was important and everything, but why did this man cry over it?
I know why now. I too have grown to love the Book of Mormon, and the scriptures
in general. They are the words of God, and I have received so many answers to
my prayers through them. I Love that book. Not to the point that tears come to
my eyes, but that's just who I am. Here's a great scripture that I read this
week. Ether 12: 6 "...I would show unto the World that faith is things which
are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because y see not, for ye receive
no witness until after the trial of your faith." This has always been one
of my favorites. We need to act before our faith is strengthened. The Brother
of Jared made the stones before the Lord could cause them to light up. The Army
of Helamen had to go to war with faith, before they realized every single one
of them was spared. Moses had to thrust his staff in the sea, before the
water's would part, and Elijah had to drown the alter with water, before the
heavenly fire would come down.

This is just one of the scriptures that touched me this
week, there are so many found in the scriptures, they are countless in number!
Its Amazing!

I saw Megan's picture of the Hot Dog car and couldn't help
but laugh. Last night we had Hot Dogs, and I had a lot of them, and Elder
Crowther looks at my plate and says, "Elder Chipman, I don't think I've
ever met anyone who loves hotdogs as much as you do," Which is probably
true!

The fourth of July was awesome. They let us out of class
early, and we watched the movie 17 Miracles! Its a great, but sad movie. It
also reminded me that our Father in Heaven is a God of Miracles, and I'm sure I
will see many of them before these two years are up. Afterwards they gave us
ice cream bars and let us stay up late and watch the fireworks from the Stadium
of Fire. There was a tree in the way, but we could still see the majority of
them!

I've never felt so strong in my life. My faith is growing
every day, and I still know it has a long way to go. I have so much to learn,
but I still continue to learn so much. I wish I could let all of you feel the
way I do right now. It is amazing how happy we are when we know that Christ and
our Father in Heaven love us, are there for us, and are helping us every single
second, of every single day. Don't ask me how, because I don't know, but I feel
it buried in the marrow of my bones, that my Redeemer lives. That Joseph Smith
was a prophet, President Monson is a prophet, and the Book of Mormon is true.
And its amazing to feel this in my heart, because it brings me so much peace,
and joy. I feel like a water balloon about to pop!